“Why CEQA May Finally Get Its Rewrite”

“Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, politicians’ pledges to “fix” the California Environmental Quality Act are an annual, almost cliched ritual in the Golden State.

Business groups swoop in at the end of a legislative session, warning about the landmark environmental law’s crimp on economic growth and pleading for quick action outside the typically lengthy committee-vetting process. Usually, though, after a lot of political blustering and maybe a little tinkering around the edges for well-connected developers, CEQA remains intact.